Well bailer



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WELL BAILER.

APPLICATION FILED. NOV. 30. I920.

Patented Oct. 10, 1922.,

gaff/fi I M V rlhnuillii Patented Get. 10, 1922.

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WILLIAM w. enuiann, or EUREKA, KANSAS.

WELL BAILER.

To all whom itmay concern: 7

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM W. GRUBER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Eureka, in the county of Greenwood, State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements, in l/Vell Bailers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to bailers employed for removing drillings, mud, water, oil, and other such material from oil, gas, and artesian wells for the purpose of facilitating the continuance of the drilling operation.

As is well understood by those familiar with well drilling, as the operation proceeds, mud, water, oil, drillings, etc. detached or formed by the drilling or accumulating during the drilling operation, impedes such operation, and it is necessary to remove such substances by what are called bailers, consisting, broadly stated, of a tube having a valve at its lower end, which is so operated as to admit the mud, etc. when the tube is lowered and closed when the tube is being raised, the substances received by the bailer tube being confined in the bailer, and the bailer is removed from the well, and the contents dumped or discharged.

It is desirable that the main portion of the bailer tube should be made of compara tively thin metal in order that its weight may not be excessive, but when this is the case the tube is not sufficiently strong unless reinforced at its lower end to stand the strain to which the bailer is subjected. When the tube is reinforced by a lining at its lower end or by a short reinforcing tube which is riveted to the bailer tube, the rivets often break or work loose, thus marring the efiiciency of the bailer and causing it to leak. I have also found that the bailer valve often so wears on the sides of the tube just above the valve seat that it greatly weakens the tube and thus causes it after a time to leak or break.

The object of my invention is to overcome these defects usually found in bailers, and to do this I provide a lower tube section made of one piece of metal (preferably steel), having its lower portion made much thicker than its upper part, said lower thick portion being made to extend considerably above the valve seat so as to provide a thick wearing surface against which the valve may rub or strike without unduly weakening the tube or causing it to leak. Above this thick portion the tube is gradually reduced in thickness until it is of substantially the same thickness as the upper portion of the bailer, or the upper section thereof which is a separate piece and which is joined to the lower section by a welding process which makes the two tube sections practically a continuous piece.

In this way the bailer is made smooth, solid, and strong, and its durability is greatly increased.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is'a side elevation of a bailer made in accordance with my invention with a portion of the upper tube section removed.

Figure 2 shows a vertical section of the bailer shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional View of the lower tube section containing the valve seat.

Figure 4 is a sectional view of anold form of bailer showing how in practice the valve wears away the tube above the valve seat.

The upper part A of the bailer tube is of the usual kind and is provided with a bail,

a to which a wire, chain, cable, or the like, used for raising and lowering the bailer, may be attached. The lower section B of the bailer tube is considerably shorter than the upper section and is specially constructed in accordance withgny invention. The valve seat 0 is formed in the annular, inwardly projecting flange C of the thickened end portion of the lower tube section, and it receives the valve D which is of the kind now commonly used, consisting of the valve proper d, the valve stem d, and the dart or head (5 which latter is normally disposed a considerable distance below the bottom of the bailer tube.

The lower end portion 2) of the lower tube section below the valve seat is made relatively thick and heavy and the flange C is also made relatively thick and heavy to support the-valve and to withstand the wean and pounding to which it is subjected. It will be observed that this lower thick portion 6 is considerably thicker and heavier than the upper portion 6 of the tube, and it will also be observed that the portion 6 of the tube, immediately above and adjacent to the valve seat, is considerably thicker than the upper portion 6 of the tube. This is for the purpose of strengthening the tube in its lower portion above the valve seat and to provide a wearvalve seat must be specially formed.

ing surface against which the valve may operate, it being understood that in the oper ation of the bailer the valve does not always reciprocate in a straight line in the bailer, but often moves or wabbles from side to side, striking and scraping against the tube. By providing an additional thickness of metal where indicated this wear is compensated and the life of the bailer is greatly prolonged. The trick portion 6 should extend sufiiciently high to receive'the valve when inserted to its full extent and preferably the thick portion gradually tapers and merges into the thin upper portion 2 of the tube B, which at its upper end or top of the same thickness as that of the upper tube section A.

It will be readily understood that from a practical standpoint it is Preferable to form the lower part of the bailer in a separate piece as shown in Figure 3 inasmuch as the thickness of the walls varies and %1e y making the lower tube section in the manner described its upper end may be joined to the upper tube section smoothly and firmly by any suitable welding process.

- Preferably abutt joint is formed as indicated at a, although so far as some features of my invention are concerned a lap joint welded may be employed, but the butt joint welded connection has many advantages and vis preferred.

Figure 1 shows parts of an old form of bailer and it indicates at 3 how the tube is commonly worn away in such manner as to weaken it and cause it to leak.

I claim as my invention:

1. A well bailer having a lower tube section formed integrally with a valve seat and formed integrally above the valve seat with a portion made thicker than the upper portion of the tube, said thick portion extending sufliciently above the valve seat to receive the valve when inserted to its full extent, in combination with a valve which normally rests on the seat butwhich at times moves in contact withithe thick portion of the tube section above said seat.

2. A well bailer, comprising an upper tube section and a relatively short lower tube section connected with said upper tube section and which is formed with a relatively thick integral lower portion through which the valve stem extends, and an integral thick inwardly projecting flange formed with a valve seat, and a thick integral portion above the valve seat which tapers or merges into a relativel thin portion of the tube, in combination with valve which normally rests on the seat but which at times moves in contact with the thickened portion of the tube above the seat.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

WILLIAM WV. GRUBER. 

